The Meaning of Adventure

This was written for EOA Appreciation Week 2020

Day One Prompt: Adventure

Notes:

i was cleaning out my notes and found a crap ton of unpublished fanfic and unfinished stories and headcannons. i wrote this on tumblr originally but i wanted to post it here. might be posting some other works in the future from the same and other fandoms.

Constructive criticsim is appreciated! I hope you enjoy the story!

_________________________________________

Naomi had always been drawn in by the wonder of exploration. Whether it was from the excitement of sailing, the thrill that came with standing at the Crow's nest with the wind in her hair or just the simple joy that came with helping others, Adventure had always been Naomi's middle name.

Yet here she sat now, upon her desk in the middle of the night well into early morning actually, staring at the letter she had just finished writing to her dear childhood friend Veronica explaining her intention to stay in Avalor and thereby stopping her grand adventure across the EverRealm.

The brown piece of parchment sat innocently upon her wooden desk, waiting to be placed into its envelope and mailed to its recipient. But Naomi was still gathering her courage to do this daunting task.

"Ugh why is this so hard?" Naomi asked herself in exasperation, bumping her head against the desk.

Who knew that writing a letter to your longtime friend slash fellow adventurer,  trying to explain to them your desire to stay in one kingdom instead of being the captain of your own ship and exploring the 17 seas would be such a monumental task.

Naomi sighed, "Let's just get this over with."

She carefully placed the letter inside its envelope, sealed it and left it on her desk, waiting to be delivered the next day.

But as she laid in bed, eyes closed and the fatigue fully washing over her, slowly pulling her into the depths of sleep, she couldn't help but think of her decision.

Because to Veronica, who knew little Naomi better than anyone, giving up a life of adventure amidst the high seas would seem unbelievable.

Even as a young child, all Naomi had ever wanted to do was to sail the 17 seas. See the world's beauty and experience its glory with her very own eyes. And for a while that was all she could think about.

That was until she started helping out at the port, met Elena and eventually was chosen to be part of the Grand Council.

By then, fifteen year old Naomi had nearly forgotten what her dream had been once upon a time. Too busy with helping out in the port, finishing school and responsibilities as a part of the royal court kept her desire to travel pushed back somewhere in the far depths of her mind. Only being brought back into the light when Vee had come back and reminded her of her long-standing dream and thrist for the unknown.

And Naomi realized that Veronica did raise a good point. She had all but practically gave up in pursuing her dream. And it was that fear of not getting the chance to take her life into her own hands that spurred her to fulfill her goals and pave her own path.

But months of traveling alone, with no one else to share her new experiences with, made Naomi realize that the adventure of a lifetime that she had always wanted was not on the high seas sailing from kingdom to kingdom. But it was back on the golden beaches and sparkling blue bay of Avalor, where her friends and family were.

Where she was part of a cause that stood for something much greater than just the happiness and well-being of one person. Naomi's greatest adventure had always been in Avalor. Serving the people. Helping her friends. Being with her family.

And she would trade sailing the 17 seas any day just to see the beaming smiles and wide grins of her loved ones again. She'd give up all the gold coins in the world if it meant she would bear witness to their happiness.

Her journey for the past few weeks taught her a very important lesson.

The fundamental truth was, Naomi's definition of Adventure had changed. For young Naomi Adventure meant getting on a ship and sailing to the four corners of the Ever Realm. For little Naomi, adventure required a person to travel through raging seas and dense jungle all by their lonesome.

But that wasn't the case for young adult Naomi. To her, adventure was doing mountains of paperwork with her best friend, who was also Crown Princess, and signing royal documents well into the late afternoon.

Adventure meant chasing down enemies of the kingdom with her closest friends by her side, and defeating said enemies to ensure the safety of every citizen in Avalor.

Adventure meant being with family in the kingdom she adored and with all the people she loved.

And it was with these thoughts that Naomi wrote that letter to Vee. Wherein she poured all her innermost thoughts and feelings and the epiphany she had reached on her journey.

Tomorrow, she would send that letter without any regrets and with confidence.

Naomi hoped Vee would understand. That although she enjoyed being the captain of her own ship, and sailing the 17 seas was a fantastic journey, the greatest adventure of her life was spending her time in Avalor, with all her friends and family, serving the kingdom and making sure it's people always had a smile on their faces.

'Perhaps that is the real adventure of life, being with the people you adore in the home that you love.'